Last night Senator Scott Brown made an appearance at the Wollaston Golf Club for a book signing and early campaign stop. Approximately 220 people came to meet with the Senator and hear remarks on his upcomimg bid for re-election.

Scott Brown won Senator Kennedy’s seat and will be up for re-election in 2012.  “I’m their [the Democrats] #1 target” he told the crowd. His win came as something of a surprise in heavily democratic Massachusetts. But not to him. He told his Southie story. About how he would drive his truck into Southie, hold his sign, greet residents, and answer questions. He did this over and over and a momentum began to build. He told people early on, “I am going to win.” Folks would raise a sceptical eyebrow; “but [the support] was all real.” He just kept, “battling, battling, battling.” It paid off. He noted, “I got 60,000 more votes than the governor.”

He reiterated his committment to being independent minded and voting in the best interests of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its citizens. Brown spoke of his intent to work with Democrats and independents and spoke of a meeting with First Lady Nancy Reagan. The senator asked her about the relationship between Tip O’Neill and President Reagan. Was it true? The first lady recounted that after Reagan was shot it was O’Neill who slipped off his shoes, quietly snuck into the President’s hospital room, and together they recited the Lord’s Prayer.

For Brown the nation’s top priority is the budget. The country is looking for leadership on this issue and “We cannot miss this opportunity to get our fiscal house in order.” To do that , “everything is on the table.”

He also spoke briefly about his new memoir, Against All Odds. In the book Brown discusses his turbulent upbringing and being the victim of sexual assault. He acknowledges, “I had to wrestle with a lot of stuff” in the course of writing it; but now “I’m balanced.”

The evening’s fundraiser was organized by Denis Keohane, Frank Delaney, Ted Ahern, Eddie Byrne, and Mike O’Connor.

Here some photos from last night’s event. Please click on an image for a larger version.